Quail-trap.



No. 814,207. PATBNTED MAR. 6, 190e. G. B. HAWKINS L H. M. & o. P.STEVENS.

QUAIL TRAP.

APPLICATION HLBD 1220.4, 1905.

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GEORGE E. HAWKINS, HORACE M, STEVENS, AND CHARLES P. STEVENS, OFWELBORN, FLORIDA.

QUAlL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 4, 1905. Serial No. 290.125.

To LZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. HAwKINs, HORACE M. STEVENS, and CHARLESP. STE- vENs, citizens of the United States, residing at Welborn, in thecounty of Suwanee and State of Florida, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Quail-Traps, of which the following is aspecification. y

Our invention relates to quail-traps, and has for its object theprovision of a device of this character so constructed that quail orother game-birds of approximately the same size as quail or partridgeswill be permitted ready access to the interior of the trap, but will beeffectually prevented from leaving said trap after they have onceentered the same.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in thedetailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a quail-trapconstructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof said quail-trap. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same; and Fig. 4is a perspective view of a tunnel-closing member and a guide therefor,which will be hereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of thedrawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates the frame of ourimproved quailtrap, said frame comprising the upper hori-.

zontal side bars 6, lower horizontal side bars 7, upper horizontal endbars 8, lower horizontal end bars 9, and vertical corner-standards 10.The top, bottom, and sides of frame 5 are completely covered bywire-netting 11, which may be of any desired mesh. A wire door 12,located in the netting forming the top of the trap, provides means forremoving the captive birds when desired. The yend walls (indicated at13) are also formed of wire and lie in the arc of a circle. These endwalls 13 completely close the ends of frame 5, eX- cept that an openingis formed therein which communicates with conical wire tunnels 14 and15. Overlying the inner mouths of the tunnels are wires 16 and 17, saidwires having eyelets 18 at their upper ends, which engage i portions ofthe wire which forms the top of the .cage in such a manner that saidwires 16 and 17 swing from the top of the cage. Guidebars 19 and 20 areprovided with eyelets 21 the said tunnels.

at their upper ends, said eyelets engaging the wire which forms theclosure of the top of the cage, asis clearly illustrated inFig. 1. Thelower ends of these guide-bars 19 and 2O are secured to the top of theinner mouths of the tunnels. Each of the guide-bars comprise a pair ofparallel wires between which the wires 16 and 17 are adapted to travel.

The operation of the device is as follows: When it is desired to use theherein-described trap for. the purpose of capturing partridges or othergame-birds, a suitable bait is placed in the body of the trap throughthe door 12. Birds attracted by the bait pass through the wiretunnels,pushing aside the wires 16 and 17, which lie at such an angle as to restof their own weight against the inner mouths of Guide-bars 19 and 20prevent lateral movement of the tunnel-closing wires 16and 17 as will beapparent by referring to Fig. 2. It will be impossible for the birds toleave the trap after they have once entered, owing to the fact thatwires 16 and 17 overlie the inner mouths of the tunnel and 'preventtheir 'egress therethrough. Means are provided to permit birds to enterthe trap from both ends of the same. By indenting the end walls in whichthe wire tunnels are located the birds are rendered less suspicious thanwould be the case if the tunnels were formed in a vertical wall at thatpoint, for game-birds, such as this trap is designed to capture, are bynature very wary and will only enter a trap after having carefullyinvestigatedthe same. Byindentingthe endwalls of the trap they arepermitted to pass the line of the corner-standards 10 before coming tothe tunnels. When they find that they can do this and yet return at willwhence they came, their suspicions are allayed and they enter thetunnels more freely than would otherwise be the case.

While the elements herein shown and described are well adapted to servethe purpose for which they are intended, it is to be understood that ourinvention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but thatchanges within the scope ofthe appended claims may be resorted towithout departure from said invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a trap of thecharacter described, the combination with a cage having indented end IOOwalls, of tunnels leading from said end Walls i which access may he hadto the interior of to the interior of the cage and Wires pivoted thetrap. for swinging movement, the free ends of said In testimony whereofWe aHiX our signa- Wires overlying the mouths of said tunnels. tures inpresence of tWo Witnesses.

2. In a trap of the character described, the combination with a cage, oftunnels which converve toward their inner ends, Wires connectedbto thetop ol said cage, the free ends of CHARLES P' STEVENS which overle themouths of said tunnels, Witnesses: guide-bars in Which the free ends ofsaid Wires C. H. BURTON, are disposed to travel, and a door through l W.R. MOORE.

